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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25734934">No Way Out</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinJak3/pseuds/RinJak3'>RinJak3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Jak and Daxter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Also Erol is such a fucking asshole, Also Jak has moments where he’s chill af toward MC, Erol uses slurs throughout a few chapters, For Shits and Giggles, Gags, Griffin if you’re reading this hi-, It’s not mentioned outright but MC’s wings are useless, I’m never writing Erol after this story, Kinda, MC is also very motherly toward Jak in the first few chapters-, MC is like a chaotic mother to the Kid-, MC literally doesn’t know how to fight and it’s painfully obvious, MC will smack him if he makes a sexist comment, Not an X Reader story, TW: Slurs, TW: ab//sive language, TW: confrontation, TW: elements of physical ab//se, TW: implied/referenced t//rture, TW: inappropriate commentary, TW: interrogation, TW: male cishet middle aged asshole, TW: mentions of g//ns, TW: mentions of graphic gore, TW: threats of r//pe/non-con, There’s gonna be a chapter for art of MC, There’s gonna be a lot of continuity errors, This is a hyperfixation, actually I think she’d look like a dumbass if she tried to fly that’s why she doesn’t do it, also if this just stops updating for a few months I’m sorry, and then come back like Sherlock did, because Hooooo boy it was such a bad story, but we knew that already I think, debating posting the original as a shit sequel, does anyone even read the tags, ever again, for like 3 seconds that is, gotta protecc the bean, he gets better about it though, i hate writing them, i refuse to type out what happens throughout the entire game, if youre reading this comment sunshine lollipops, it sucks trying to write in character for him, jak is a fucking dick sometimes, jak is slightly sexist, just be happy it isn’t my original writing, just yknow, oc is a teenager, please just deal with it, she was an absolute Mary Sue, so I’ll probably lose interest later, so much, spoilers for Jak II: Renegade, spoilers for Jak III: Wastelander, take a shot every time Author writes something simp-ey toward dark Jak, the general idea was good but, they just sit there and look cool, this is an oc and will be written like one, uhhhh, wait no don’t, whoops sorry spoilers for Sherlock I guess, yknow, you’ll die</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:48:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25734934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RinJak3/pseuds/RinJak3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ayako, 16, is sucked into her favorite game, Jak II. She must figure out a way to leave, if she can.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/661975">Shades of Grey</a> by Flerna.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>My dumbass brain forced me to rewrite this fic from like,,, 5 years ago so yeah lmao</p>
<p>(TW for hinting toward rape-y topics)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>September 4th, 2015.<br/>
Ayako hummed softly as she sat in front of her TV, playing her favorite video game, Jak and Daxter. The time was 7:30, and she knew she still had time before her first day at her new school started. She grumbled slightly at the thought, grateful that at least today she didn’t have to wear the hideous uniform.<br/>
New Haven High School was one of the most pretentious all girls schools she’d ever heard of, and it was by dumb luck that she had gotten in.<br/>
With a quick flinch as she heard the all too familiar noise of her game, signaling that she had gotten injured, she turned her attention back to it, quickly mashing buttons in an attempt to salvage this try. With a groan of frustration, she rolled her eyes at the screen, which now displayed the regretfully familiar death screen.<br/>
“Aya? Sweetie, it’s time to get ready for school!” Her father called up the stairs, and she quickly saved her game, shutting down the PS2. “Alright papa!” She replied, and quickly got dressed. With a quick scan of her room, her gaze alighted on her notebooks and pencils, which she quickly tucked into her satchel.<br/>
Bolting down the stairs at an alarming speed, Ayako swung through the kitchen, slowing down to grab an apple, and to slip her shoes on. “Love you papa” she said, stretching up to give her dad a quick hug and kiss, and then ran out the door, finally slowing down. She glanced at her watch, and started the slightly unfamiliar walk to the school. </p>
<p>“...this definitely isn’t NHHS...” she mumbled aloud, pausing in the alleyway. A flicker of movement caught her eye, and she whipped around.<br/>
“Hey sweets, ya lost?” Came a gruff voice, before her eyes settled on the equally gruff looking figure.<br/>
“Uh... no, nope I’m fine, just.. just Uh, taking a shortcut” she stammered, backing away from the man, whos beady hazel eyes narrowed into a smug gaze.<br/>
“Awh, cmon babes, I can help ya. Where ya going to?” He said, striding forward until she was trapped against a wall.<br/>
“Really. I, I’m perfectly fine. I know where I’m going.” She mumbled, trying to duck under his arm. As she did, she noticed a ridiculously familiar symbol on his shoulder, though she couldn’t quite place it. Her momentary distraction was all the man needed to grab her arm, ignoring her frantic struggling.<br/>
Her eyes widened as a blur of spotted golden fur drew her eyes, leaping from the ground to her shoulder, and with a swift kick pushed the man off of her. She landed on the pavement, knocking her head against something, and her vision went dark.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Ow...” Ayako muttered, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. A warm pressure lifted from her legs, and she started to regain feeling in them, the fuzzy static feeling being replaced by a dull throbbing pain. She blinked rapidly, shaking her head to clear it, only to end up wincing as a jolt of pain flashed through her skull. The same golden spotted creature- a sort of cat-like animal, she noticed now- leaped to her shoulder to sniff at her face. A gentle barbed tongue rasped at her temple, which helped to clear the cloudiness of her head a bit. She slowly looked at her surroundings, the room unfamiliar. Gingerly turning around, she realized that she was in a cell, not a room. And outside was an eerily familiar sight. “No...” she whispered, standing to get a better look.<br/>A figure stepped into her line of sight, blocking her view almost immediately. “Wonderful. The half-breed scum is finally awake.” He spat, and she bristled angrily. <br/>“Half-breed scum?! Who the hell do you think you are?!” She snarled, her fiery gaze locking onto ice. Cold and heartless, she could tell that much from his eyes, as well as the accompanying voice.<br/>“Mind your tone when speaking to your superiors, you illegitimate mutt.” Came the unfeeling tone of the man outside. <br/>“Where the hell am I?!” She demanded, rattling the door of the cell. <br/>“Haven city.” Came the brief response, festering with hatred. <br/>‘Haven city...?’ She thought, slumping back against the wall. ‘How the hell?’ “What is this? Some sort of sick prank? There’s no way I’m in Haven right now. That’s just in a game...” she mumbled. “This is all just a dream... yeah, just a dream.” She concluded, though the persistent throbbing of her head and legs said otherwise. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’ll be back for you later, M-4r.” Came the now slightly familiar voice of the guard, and she watched in confusion as her cell door was thrown open, and a ragged blonde was thrown in. She quickly caught him before his head hit the floor, causing her to stumble backward and fall heavily. ‘Jak.’ Her brain confirmed, recognizing the man before she herself did. ‘How many years has it been so far?’ She wondered, gently cradling the unconscious figure.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hours passed, before the unconscious figure finally stirred, his cerulean eyes opening slowly, focusing on the face of the girl above him. She noticed quickly, and tried to smile, but stopped quickly as a jolt of pain shot through her. “How are you feeling?” She croaked, her throat beginning to dry out. <br/>The man sat up, almost unconsciously playing with the hooked point of his ear. He gave her a distrustful glance, before looking away. <br/>Deciding it would be better for both of them if she acted like she didn’t know him at all, she quickly cleared her throat. “Not a talker, huh? That’s ok. I hold a one sided conversation pretty well. If it gets overwhelming though, let me know, ok? I tend to do that. Talk to much, that is.” She sighed. “I’m Ayako, by the way. In case you were wondering. I’m not really sure how I ended up in this place though, last thing I remembered was being cornered in an alleyway, and then hitting my head on something.” As if to remind her, her head throbbed painfully, and she reached up to rub at the sore spot, feeling dried blood crumble into powder. “I wish I was back home with my papa...” she mumbled, looking at the ceiling. She jumped slightly as she felt a hand settle on her knee, and she glanced over, seeing the face of the boy beside her, which had a slightly apologetic expression. She smiled softly and patted his hand. “I’m fine.” She said, then glanced around the cell. <br/>Her eyes alighted on a bag- her bag, she realized with a grin, and reached her arm over to snag it, pulling it closer to her. Opening the top, she scanned the contents- her usual pocket knife was gone, to no surprise, but her notebooks and stuff were still there. She pulled one out, along with a pen, earning a curious glance. “Drawing,” she offered, a brief explanation all it took to sate the curiosity of her cell mate. She opened the notebook and started drawing absently, barely focused on it, just enough to know where her lines were falling. </p>
<p>She continued her drawing for hours, until a jingling of keys caused her to look up. The guard stalked in, and with a “come on, freak,” grabbed Jak by the ear, tugging him out. It was quiet for a moment, before she heard the quiet murmurings of the guard and someone else. She flinched slightly as she heard screaming, and tried to block out the sound. She ended up curling into a ball on the floor, with the cat- what else she could call it was beyond her- curled up on her head, helping muffle some of the agonizing screams.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This ones a bit longer lmao<br/>Also, sorry if it switches to saying ‘you’ instead of ‘she’ or anything like it, I get confused on that sort of thing a lot lmao, I caught most of it and switched it though.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She must have fallen asleep somehow, because when she woke, the place was dead quiet. She glanced around, hoping to see a familiar pair of cerulean eyes, and her face fell when she didn’t. ‘He’s gone’ she thought, knowing what had probably already happened. Daxter had come, saved Jak, and they had left. She sighed, sitting up and leaning against the wall. She spaced out, humming softly, eventually leading to her singing quietly. This, unfortunately, caused her to not hear the voice of the annoying ottsel that had just arrived, nor the voice of Jak. In fact, she hadn’t heard anything until a familiar rattle of keys caused her to pause.<br/>
“Damn keys... which one is it?” Came a harsh voice, rough from disuse. She inhaled sharply as the door finally swung open, and Jak stepped in, extending a hand. “Let’s go.” He said bluntly, his eyes determinedly focused. She quickly scooped up her bag, and grabbed his hand, and he pulled her up. She sucked in a breath as her head protested angrily, and pushed the pain to the back of her mind. The cat leaped gracefully to her shoulder, curling its fluffy tail around her neck loosely. She followed her new companions out of the cell, and paused as Daxter said, “hey Jak, do ya even know how to get us outta here?” He huffed, glancing at the orange rodent, with an, “obviously not, Dax, I was unconscious when they brought me in.”<br/>
“Um...” she interjected, raising a hand tentatively. “I think I might be able to lead us out?”<br/>
“Well then, toots, lead the way!” Daxter said with a flirty eyebrow wiggle. She fake gagged, then glanced around to familiarize herself with the surroundings. Spotting the ledge, she hastened toward it, pulling herself up it easily, the duo following close behind.<br/>
It was only a matter of minutes before they came to a section of moving platforms, and she backed up, eyeing them carefully, timing her sprint and jump carefully, each one proving no more difficult than the last, save for the annoying pain in her head as she landed. She paused, glancing at the high ledge. “There’s no way up that by ourselves. Jak, I’ll boost you, and then you can pull me up, okay?” The blond nodded, and she laced her hands together for him to step up and grab the ledge, pulling himself up.<br/>
A brief moment later, his arms extended down, and she quickly grabbed his wrists, him mirroring the action, and pulled her up, with her steadying herself with the wall to ease his burden. </p><p>It took a bit, but the two of them finally reached the window that dropped down into the streets of Haven City. Jak leaped down first, bending his knees and rolling with the impact of the ground. Ayako hesitated, before taking a deep breath and just jumping, clumsily mimicking his movements. She hissed slightly as her head throbbed, standing up and leaning against a wall for a brief moment. Jak stood beside her, tapping his foot slightly impatiently, and she quickly stepped forward, giving him a slight nod. He started forward, and she trailed behind, suddenly aware of the eyes of the city’s residents on them both, as well as the whispers of, “look! A half breed.” “Don’t go near that thing, she’s probably dangerous!” And several other comments about herself. She quickly sped up to be beside Jak, her head hanging meekly. </p><p>“Just ignore them.” He muttered, giving her a look. She nodded, looking up and simply focusing on her steps. She paused for a moment to look at a poster on the wall- the runes, which earlier, would have simply been symbols she didn’t understand, were now understandable, and she stared, slightly enthralled. She startled from her reverie as a speaker blared to life, shrieking briefly with unpleasant feedback, and a guard briefly informed them that they were in a restricted sector, and would be terminated. She glanced around and noticed the Kid, looking quite scared, and almost immediately slipped over, standing in front of him defensively. There was a crackle of dark energy as Jak shifted to his dark form, and she moved a hand to shield the Kid’s sight, though she herself watched in pure interest. 
(A/N: :&gt; Such angy boi ooo Jak dark form go brrrrrrr) <br/>
Within a few moments, he shifted back, the guards having since fled.<br/>
“Woah! That was cool! Do it again.” Daxter said, grinning.<br/>
The old man-Kor- who she been oblivious to until now, hums softly, directing his words to Jak. “Very impressive. What you did was very brave. This child is important.” The line sparked something in her brain, and she furrowed a brow. ‘That’s weird... there was something important to do with the Kid, and Kor. But what was it? Argh, why couldn’t I have beat the game earlier?!’ She thought. While she was lost in thought, Jak had managed to get instructions to the Underground. He froze as a Krimson Hellcat cruiser slowed to a stop beside them, the guard riding it saying, “you are in a restricted sector. move along.” Jak sighed quietly, gesturing Ayako forward, and she quickly caught up with him as he started walking through the city, tugging at the back hem of her shirt, a slightly confused look on her face. Jak noticed and stopped, quirking an eyebrow at her.<br/>
“What’s going on now?” He asked, sounding slightly exasperated.<br/>
“Somethings on my back,” she replied, twisting to try and get whatever it was off. “I have no clue what.” He sighed.<br/>
“We should be there soon, you can check then.” He snapped, and continued walking. With a final tug at her shirt, she darted forward to catch up with him, keeping pace silently, ignoring her pain, which had dulled to an irritating ache.<br/>
It was only then that she began to think about her outfit, and slowly became self conscious over it- the yellow hoodie had been one of her favorites for years, and it bore a pretty pastel green stain from one of her many art projects. Was it see through? Did she look like a slob? Her blue skirt, which normally she wouldn’t have given a second thought, she now scrutinized. It was a bouncy fabric, loose and comfortable, but now she wondered if maybe it was too short? Her shoes, nothing wrong there, they were practical and cute combat boots with a steel toe and spikes around the sole. And then there was her hair. Dyed cyan in a small attempt to stand out, with a yellow-green streak through it, all cut short. She doubted it looked too out of place in this world, but she still carded her fingers through it, attempting to tame the unruly curls.<br/>
She had been so absorbed in worrying at her appearance, that she startled when she bumped into Jak, who had now stopped. Peeking over his shoulder, she saw why- the busty blonde she recalled as Tess blocked their way. Glancing over at Daxter, she noticed the ottsel oogling the young woman, and she instinctively gave him a light smack, almost like she would a close friend. As he tipped precariously on Jak’s shoulder, she hissed, “her eyes are on her face, not on her chest!” And was surprised when she heard a light ‘snrk’ come from the woman. She stepped aside and Jak almost pushed past her to go over to Torn, who was looking at their little group suspiciously. She looked over to Tess and smiled.<br/>
“Hi, I’m Ayako! Sorry about Daxter, he can’t keep his eyes off of the girls.” At that, she laughed again.<br/>
“It’s fine, I’m used to it. Tess, by the way. Nice to meetcha!” She said, sticking out a hand. She shook it, still smiling, before it quickly turned to a slight grimace of discomfort. “You alright?” Tess asked, noticing the look quite fast. She shrugged slightly, and sighed.<br/>
“Something’s on my back, I’m not sure what it is but it’s uncomfortable.” She said, and Tess raised an eyebrow.<br/>
“Mind if I?” She said, walking around her to her back.<br/>
“Go ahead,” she replied, and stood still as she lifted the back of her shirt just high enough to see whatever the heck was back there. She let out a sharp gasp, and let the shirt fall, and Ayako turned her head to give her a curious look.<br/>
“How have you not noticed those before?!” She asked, incredulous. “Those are full grown wings!”<br/>
“....what” she deadpanned, disbelief in her eyes.<br/>
“Yeah! You have full grown wings, like a sort of ashy brown, but super pale color!”<br/>
“I- I have-“ she was cut off as Jak stalked back toward her.<br/>
“Let’s go, we have a job before we can be part of the Underground.” He said, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her away from Tess. She sighed, resigned to the fact that this was probably how things were going to be for a while.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Phew..” she muttered, waving her hand in front of her nose. “This place does not smell nice.” She said, and Jak uttered a slight agreement, starting forward. Ayako noticed him start to head in the wrong direction, and quickly went over to him. “Over that way” she redirected him, pointing in the proper direction.<br/>
He gave her a confused look, along with a mutter of “how do you know that?” He practically growled, and she sighed, grabbing his chin and tilting his head up to face the giant banner at the top of the tower.<br/>
“Common sense, dumbass” she remarked, with a smirk, and let go of his chin with a couple patronizing pats to his cheek. “You’ll learn to use your eyes soon, little fledgeling.” Daxter snorted at that, and she turned to see Jak giving him a death glare.<br/>
“Alright, lets go.” He said after a moment, the glare flickering to her briefly, and she chuckled, following him as he stalked toward the pathway through the water.<br/>
“Careful of the water, by the way.” She advised. “It hurts if you step in it, not sure how, but it does.” Jak nodded and jumped to the small island, and she followed. </p><p>After about 20 minutes, or so she gathered from how tired her legs were by now, they reached the stone outcropping she that served as a means to ascend the tower. The first few jumps went smoothly, so smoothly that she forgot about the one big thing- the rocks would crumble. She went from mild confusion as she heard a soft grating, to panic as the slab gave way beneath her feet.<br/>
Jak noticed at about the same time, and sighed quietly, grabbing her around the waist and throwing her over his shoulder, quickly jumping to the next slab, which met the same fate as the previous. He was quick in jumping to the next one as the one before started to fall, and soon they were at the top. He set her down, albeit a bit less gentle than she would have liked, and she made a soft noise of displeasure as she hit the stone that made up the tower.<br/>
She stood up and dusted herself off. “Stop making me save your ass Princess. If you’re going to be a weak girl then leave.” Jak muttered. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she stomped over as Jak walked over to the banner and tugged it, pole and all, out of the unstable ground of the tower they stood on.<br/>
“Shit...” she mumbled as once again, the ground beneath them crumbled. By sheer luck, she managed to follow the path that Jak took, and not the more painful path that Daxter had the misfortune of enduring. As she recalled from the game, he landed gracefully, while Daxter landed on the ground with a painful splat. She hit the ground feet first, hissing softly as her legs buckled beneath her. With a quick assessment, she concluded that they were fine, and stood, brushing herself off and turning to face the tattooed wonder, or, Torn, who was gaping at Jak.<br/>
“Yeah... you guys are in.” He deadpanned after a moment. With a small fistpump, Daxter celebrated the victory. “This is for that comment about me being a weak ass girl.“ she snapped, giving Jak a slap to the unarmored shoulder, ignoring the glare he gave her, before scooping the ottsel up and followed Jak and Torn back to the Underground’s hideout.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>So focused on the familiar mission that she replayed several times in her world, Ayako all but forgot about the pain in her head, and now the ache from her legs from the harsh landing. That is, she forgot about them until she, Jak, and Daxter were back at the hideout. <br/>“Bunks are over there.” Torn bit sharply, jerking a thumb toward the scattering of bunks against the wall. Sighing, Ayako scanned the beds, spotting some that didn’t appear to be claimed. Walking over to one, she dumped her bag onto it. A small trill caught her attention, and she turned to see the cat thing that she found- or maybe it found her? She wasn’t sure- bounding toward her. She recalled vaguely leaving it here at the hideout before the mission, and she was glad to see it again. ‘It...’ she thought suddenly. ‘I’ve gotta find out its gender and think of something to call it... I can’t keep referring to it as... well, it.’ <br/>She was startled out of her reverie by a voice, clearing its throat. She turned, with a slight wince as her head protested, to see Torn. “Uh... can I help you?” She asked, slight worry etched into her face. <br/>“Where’d you get a Muse?” He asked, gesturing toward the cat.<br/>‘Of course! They were in the first game... wish I could have played it.’ She thought. “Oh! Uh... well, it kinda found me I guess...” she admitted. <br/>Torn let out a thoughtful ‘humph.’ Then replied, “she’s a magnificent creature. It’s been too long since I’ve seen one. Take care of her.” <br/>She seemed slightly surprised at the somewhat positive interaction, and nodded. “Okay.” <br/>“Showers are over there, there’s some spare clothes and stuff in the bin by the door.” He said, his voice back to its usual cold, gruff tone, and he turned and walked back to the table, flipping through some papers. She sighed quietly, petting the cat- er, muse. “So, you’re a girl...” she mumbled to the golden creature, who stared up at her with intelligent eyes. She pondered a few names briefly, before smirking as one came to her mind. “Shadow.” She mumbled, and the muse let out a content trill. She smiled, ruffling it’s fur, before she sat on the bed, kicking off her boots. “Might as well shower...” she sighed, walking toward the room Torn pointed out to her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After she finished showering- it was cold, much to her displeasure, but it was the best she w as gonna get here, she wrapped herself in a towel, going to the mirror to inspect the wound on her head. It wasn’t a large wound, thankfully. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair, hoping to tame the wet curls, and then walked to the bin by the door. After a bit of looting through it- there wasn’t a lot- she settled on a dark green vest, a black shirt- which was a little tight, but it would do- and gray cargo pants that tied at the ankles. <br/>After dressing, she walked back out to the main room, and spotted a small crate on her bed. With a perplexed look, she walked over to it, lifting the lid and inspecting the contents. Armor- worn and dirty, but still in good condition- met her eyes. “Uh...” she mumbled, glancing toward the table, where Tess was seated. The blonde glanced over and smiled. <br/>“Oh! That’s just some spare armor we had lying around- not much but it’ll get the job done for ya!” She said, and Ayako nodded, pulling the pieces out. <br/>A metal shoulder plate, slightly similar to Jak’s but with a more elegant design, leather arm guards with metal plates backs, and what looked like a respirator of some sort, met her eyes. They were surprisingly heavy, which she should have anticipated, but that didn’t bother her. <br/>“The boys went out, by the way” Tess called, and Ayako looked around- sure enough, Jak and Daxter were gone, probably on another mission. She nodded, and pulled the armor on. The shoulder plate looked around her arm, and a second strap went crossbody, which took most of the weight from her shoulder. The gloves simply pulled on and tightened with leather straps, and the respirator secured around her neck with a hinged metal plate. She noticed, with some confusion, a small pouch on the inside, which contained what looked like some spare filters, and along the top, a leather strap was tucked flat against the inside with some small buttons. She assumed that strap was supposed to go around her head to keep the mask in place. <br/>She scrutinized her appearance, and then walked over to Tess, who was relaxing against the table, reading something off of a paper. She glanced over and flashed Ayako a smile. <br/>“The armor feel okay, then?” She asked, and Ayako nodded. “Here, turn around quick?” She said, picking up a pair of scissors. At a confused glance, she elaborated. “Wings? It can’t be comfortable, keeping them scrunched underneath your clothes all the time.” <br/>“Oooh.” Ayako replied, and turned around. She heard the deft snips of the scissors, and felt a slight cold against her back for a moment before Tess carefully pulled her wings through the slits. <br/>“There!” She said with a smile, and Ayako smiled back at her. <br/>“Thanks, Tess.” <br/>“No prob!” She replied.  <br/>Ayako let out a small sigh. She finally had begun to process exactly the kind of situation she was in. She had to admit, she’d thought about what it would be like to actually be in the game, multiple times, but all those scenarios involved things being a lot more peaceful, and her being at least friends with Jak. In reality, the city wasn’t at all peaceful, and she had a feeling that Jak didn’t really like her. And then there was the problem of people calling her a ‘half breed’ for some reason... it confused and upset her. It must have shown on her face, because Tess set a hand on her shoulder. <br/>“You okay? You look pretty glum.” <br/>“I... no not really...” <br/>“Wanna talk about it?” <br/>She sighed. “I’d love to... but.. I don’t think anyone would really understand, much less believe me.” <br/>“Understand what?” Came a voice from behind them, and Jak came into view. She jumped slightly, then shook her head. <br/>“I... don’t really know how to explain. And I’m sure you wouldn’t believe me, either.” <br/>“Try me.” He said, crossing his arms and giving her a look. <br/>She sighed, and glanced around. Daxter was there, perched on Jak’s shoulder as usual, but there was no sign of Torn. “I think... it’s probably better for me to tell you all when everyone’s here.” <br/>Almost as if he was called, Torn walked through the door, a scowl on his face. <br/>“There. Everyone’s here. Explain.” Jak said, grabbing a chair and pulling it over, plopping down.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ayako sighed softly, all eyes focusing on her at the sound. <br/>“So.” She started, then hesitated, considering her words. “So basically- can you stop staring at me!” She said, backing away from the other four, who were leaning in uncomfortably close. With a mutter of apology, they all backed up slightly. <br/>“Anyways!” She said, clearing her throat. “Basically... I’m..” she paused. “I’m not... from this world.” Cue a chorus of confused shouting. “Aaaaack- shhhhhshshsh, everyone shut up. Shut your fuck, please. I’ll answer your questions- if you still have any- when I’m done telling my story.” She let out a quiet ‘oomph-‘ as Daxter jumped from Jak’s shoulder to hers, settling down to listen. <br/>“Yes. I’m not from this world. I’m from a world similar to this, except where I’m from, we all have short ears-“ she pulled her hair back to show her ear “-and we don’t have any fancy magic powers-“ she looked at Jak, who averted his gaze. “-or talking creatures, or magical seals, or wings, or metalheads, or anything like that.” She sighed, pulling her pants up to her knee, showing off her tattoo, which she’d kept hidden before then. Jak’s eyes widened at the familiar symbol, and she knew he recognized it as the pendant from around the Kid’s neck. “In my world... you guys aren’t real. You’re characters in a game, a game that I’ve loved since I was little. The thing is, I’ve dreamed of being a part of this world for years. I’ve learned your language, I’ve learned a lot about all of you, and this city, and even what’s going to happen in the future, if things turn out the way they should.” She sighed, tugging nervously at her hair. “I’ve dreamed of being here, being friends with all of you, saving this world, and so much more. I could lead you to the perfect ending, help you to do everything right. But... this world isn’t as nice as I hoped it would be. Fights break out in the streets. People- actual people, with feelings, and families, and dreams, are being hurt, and killed. Some of you...” she looked toward Jak again. “Some of you have PTSD. Depression. anxiety. Real, human problems. This isn’t just a game, this is real now. And I want to help, but I’m scared.” She sat on the edge of the table and wrapped her arms around herself. “Things aren’t happening the way I expected. They are, but not as easy or painlessly as they did in the game. I- I don’t expect you to believe me, but at least let me help you make things right, however I can.” <br/>She startled as a hand fell on her shoulder, and lifted her head to see Jak, and was even more surprised at the compassion in his eyes. <br/>“I believe you.” He said simply, and Daxter nodded. “Yeah! We’ve seen a lot of wacky stuff in our time here, and this ain’t so crazy!” <br/>Torn was looking thoughtful. “If this is the truth, we could really use your help against the Baron. We can always have people teach you to fight, or you can help from back here, giving orders.” <br/>Tess set a hand on top of her head, smiling at her. “I can always show ya how to use a gun!” <br/>Ayako smiled faintly, looking around at them all. “Well.. I suppose we should get started. First off- Jak. We need to get you reunited with Keira. She can help us. Then, if I remember correctly, we need to find Kor, and the Kid.” <br/>Tess glanced at Torn, then said, “Torn and I can track down the Kid. What about Kor?” <br/>“We need him alive. For now. In that case, I’ll take Jak to the Garage to find Keira. We’re gonna want some hoverboards.”</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jak stared up at the daunting Garage, Daxter mirroring his actions. Ayako had since filled them in about Keira. Pushing open the door, they walked in, and Ayako exchanged a glance with Jak. He nodded, before tentatively calling, “Keira?” From behind the curtain, a voice replied. “Yes? Make it quick please, I’m kind of busy. <br/>“It’s Jak.. and Daxter.” He said. The curtain shifted aside slightly, and a blue haired girl poked her head out, and gasped. <br/>“Jak??? Oh precursors, it really is you! Where have you been? What happened to you???” She grabbed Stella’s his face, mushing it around as she scrutinized him, almost like she would a speeder.<br/>“They...” he hesitated, looking to Ayako, who seemed to understand. <br/>“They pumped him full of Dark Eco.” She said, bluntly, and Keira gasped. “No... they couldn’t have! You’d be dead, or you’d have ended up like Dax...” </p><p>It took a brief moment of explaining, but soon they had caught Keira up to speed. After a moment of quiet, ayako spoke up. “Say... you wouldn’t happen to have any spare JetBoards? If not, it’s fine, but they would help in the fight.” <br/>She brightened slightly. “You have perfect timing! I had an order placed for two of them, but whoever it was cancelled last minute. They’re over there!” <br/>Ayako walked over and picked them up, and brought them back to their small group, handing one to Jak, and tucking the other in her bag. “Is there any way to pay you for these?” <br/>She shook her head. “Win this fight, that’s it.”</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Ayako and Jak returned to the Underground, they were met with the sight of Tess, sitting in one of the chairs, the Kid on her lap. <br/>“Was it too much trouble getting him?” Ayako asked, and Tess shook her head. <br/>“Nope! Actually, Kor pretty much handed him over to us, said something about needing to do something that was too dangerous for him to take the Kid along, and that he’d come get him when he was done. But he’s gonna have a hell of a time getting him back I think.”<br/>“Ayako.” Came Torn’s voice, and she looked around. “Catch.” He said, tossing something over to her. She flinched slightly, catching it, and immediately fumbling and dropping it due to the weight. She quickly picked it back up with an embarrassed smile, realizing quite quickly that it was, she assumed, a sword. <br/>“A sword? Don’t you guys typically use guns though?” <br/>“It is a gun! Kinda.” Tess replied, pointing out the trigger and barrel on the side. “A gun blade to be specific.” <br/>Ayako looked at it quizzically. “Wouldn’t the blade affect how it fires?” <br/>“Nope! Because look here!” Tess grabbed the sword and flicked it upward with a swift movement, quite forcefully. A crack sounded through the hideout, and Ayako feared the worst, but was surprised when instead of it being broken, the entire blade had folded back and in half, leaving free the gun. <br/>“That... is ridiculously clever.” <br/>“Thanks!” Came the chipper reply. “I designed her myself! Now, come on. You gotta get into the training course and get used to this!”</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW for g//ns</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the four of them- Ayako, Tess, Jak, and Daxter- arrived at the training course, Tess walked over to a pile of crates stacked against the wall. <br/>“Let’s see... blue.. yellow, red, purple... aha! Here we are.” She pulled out one of the boxes and set it down in front of Ayako. “This is the ammo for your gun.”<br/>She opened the box carefully, eyeing the frosty white bullets. In the dim room, they seemed to glow. <br/>“Also!” Tess said, handing her a sheath. “So you don’t have to carry it around all the time.” <br/>Ayako took it and quickly latched the belt around her waist, her wings tensing as some of the feathers were tugged at by the belt. She gingerly extracted the feathers, smoothing them back into place. She picked up one of the bullets, trying to figure out how to load the gun. <br/>“Just tap it against the barrel.” Tess explained. “It’ll load itself.” <br/>With a nod, she did so, repeating the method with the rest, until they stopped loading. <br/>“All you do now is point, and shoot! Pretty easy! Oh, and don’t think I’ve forgotten about you!” She said, turning to Jak. “This baby has everything you need. Powerful short range, a longer ranged sniper, and a rapid fire!” She said, handing him what looked like a hefty gun, though Jak lifted it easily. “To switch between them, you just turn this dial.” She said, pointing it out. “Now!” She pushed Ayako toward a door, with a grin. “Get in there and do your best, and don’t hit any civilians!” She said, grinning. <br/>“Wha-“ she was cut off as the door opened and she was pushed through quickly, the door shutting behind her. <br/>‘This shouldn’t be too hard... I hope.’ she jumped as a cardboard figure popped up in front of her, and she instinctively squeezed the trigger. Letting out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding, she eyed the pieces of cardboard on the ground, and started walking forward, swinging the blade back into place. She was startled again by two more, and she yelped, swinging at them, groaning as she missed one, and hit one of the ‘civilians’ instead.<br/>Within a matter of minutes though, she had gotten used to the popping up figures, and was focusing on switching quickly between the gun and the blade. <br/>By the time she reached the end of the course, she was panting, her heart racing with adrenaline. The door opened, and she stumbled out, leaning against the wall. <br/>“Wow, Ayako! You’re a natural!” Tess exclaimed, walking over to her. <br/>“I hated every second of that.” She muttered, shaking out her hand, which had stiffened around the trigger. She flinched slightly as she felt a sore spot on her arm, and glanced at it. A small bruise was forming. Likely, she had gotten clipped by one of the figures. “I’m gonna head back to the hideout. I need to get used to this jetboard.” She said, walking toward the door. <br/>“Mmkay! We’ll meet you back there when Jak is done!”</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ayako sighed softly, dismounting the jetboard with unsteady legs, and tucked it away. With a shaky exhale, she leaned against the wall, her legs giving out underneath her. For the first time since arriving in this world, she finally let herself cry, burying her head in her arms. Her back trembled, wings shaking, and soft sobs echoed through the dead end alleyway. <br/>Several minutes passed, before she was startled by a small hand tugging on her shirt. She looked up and wiped her eyes, looking at the worried face of the Kid. She smiled weakly at him. “I’m fine kiddo. Just missing home. All of this just... it’s overwhelming. I’m not even sure if I’ll ever get home...” she drew a sharp breath as the Kid suddenly barreled into her side, hugging her tightly. She paused for a moment before letting her arms settle around him. “Of course, I’ve made friends here... they’re almost a family. If a bit of a weird one.” She let out a watery laugh. “Now, if I could just remember what it is we need to do...” she mumbled. <br/>“Ah! Wonderful, I see no harm has come to the boy.” Came a voice, which made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.  She looked up to see the face of Kor, looking at the two of them. “I’m finished with my duty, so I’m here to collect him.”  <br/>A thought flashed into her mind unbidden- he looked suspiciously like the metalhead that had come through the rift gate at the beginning of the game. All of a sudden, pieces started clicking together like a puzzle in her mind. She stood, scooping up the kid and drawing her blade. “Sorry.” She spat. “Afraid I can’t give him back to you.” Her voice contained thinly veiled malice, and she backed away from him. <br/>“Ayako? What’s going-“ came the voice of Torn from behind her, before he apparently noticed Kor. She hesitated a moment. Everything was progressing so much faster than it had in the game. With a small sigh of relief, she saw Tess, followed closely by Jak and Daxter. She caught Jak’s eye, giving him a pleading look that asked for him to resolve this peacefully. He seemed to understand, and he walked over to Kor. <br/>“Sorry about this.” He said, drawing the old mans attention. “The kid is pretty attached to Ayako, and he hasn’t wanted to leave her side. We’ll try and convince him.” <br/>He still looked doubtful, so Torn chimed in. “For now, Kor, we got a call from Vin at the power station. Sounded like he could use some help, and I need these guys here to help with some stuff.” That seemed to pique his interest, and he nodded. “Give me a call when you have managed to convince the boy to leave.” He said, then turned away, walking off. Everyone visibly relaxed as he left, and Jak turned to Ayako. <br/>“Why didn’t you confront him? You definitely still know something that we don’t, that you’re holding back.” <br/>“It wasn’t the right time. We still need to do some things. Most importantly, we need to find the last Precursor stone, if memory serves correctly...”</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So.” Jak ventured. “What do we need to do to get this stone?” Ayako sighed. “First, we need-“ she shot a look at Daxter, who was messing with jaks gun. “hoe dont do it” she warned, groaning as the hoe, did in fact, do it. Daxter accidentally fumbled the gun, and in his attempt to keep it from falling, he accidentally shot it, sending a yellow beam of energy through the roof. Dust rained down on them and Ayako sighed. “Oh my god.” Daxter looked over apologetically and set the gun down gingerly. “Anyways, as I was saying. First we need you,” she looked at Jak, “or the Kid, to go to the tomb of Mar. actually, Jak, its better if you do it, because if i recall correctly, its pretty dangerous. Oh, wait. You also need the three pieces of the seal of Mar.... uh, i can go get those, its a it of a hassle to find them. Tess, will you come with me? I’m still not the best with this.” She knocked her hand against the weapon at her side.” The blonde gave her a grin. “Sure thing!” <br/>After a while of walking, they came to the bazaar. “Now let’s see... Brutter’s stand should be..... aha!” She eyed the stand, and the Lurker who was busying himself at it. Tess gave her a look. “He has what we need?” “Mmhm!” Ayako walked over to the stand, clearing her throat. The lurker looked up. “Oh! Welcome to Brutter stand! How Brutter help you?” The blue haired girl smiled. “Hello! I’m here about a certain... artifact, that youre in possession of?” Brutter quirked an eyebrow. “Brutter not know what artifact you speak of” Ayako hummed, leaning in. “I’m talking about the piece of the Seal of Mar you have. It’ll help us in the fight against the Baron.” <br/>It took a few minutes of explaining, but soon Brutter handed over the piece, with directions on where to find the other two pieces. With a smile and a wave, Ayako and Tess set off to find the other two pieces.</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW for the R slur. This is hopefully the only time its written.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Night had fallen by the time the two girls returned to the Underground base. She and Tess had tracked down the other two pieces of the seal, and the second they walked through the door of the base, she pulled off her armor and flopped on her bunk. She huffed softly as her wing pinned at a weird angle, and cursed her luck. As she straightened it out, she sighed. These things were practically useless. They looked cool sure, but they were too small to lift her in the air. Maybe she could glide on them for a few seconds if she fell though... she sighed again, pulling the three pieces of the seal from the pocket of her pants. With a small hum, she started clicking them together, trying to figure out the puzzle. With a soft click, they snapped together, and she tossed it over to Jak, who caught it quickly, turning it over in his hands. “We’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.” She grunted quietly. “For now, all of us need sleep.”</p><p>She woke up with a start in the middle of the night, chills running down her spine. She slipped off the cot, and grabbed the blanket, wrapping it around he shoulders. Torn, who must have been up this whole time, gave her a look. “Just going on a quick walk... ill see if i can find the entrance to the tomb while I’m out...” she said softly. Torn nodded, turning back to the maps on the table, hastily jotting something down, and she quietly went to the door. Letting it shut behind her, she started wandering through the city, ignoring the pointed looks people gave her. She paused by the walls of the fortress that she and Jak had escaped from only a couple days earlier. Had it really only been a couple days? It felt like weeks... she brushed a hand against the red stone that made up the fortress, her head flicking to the side as she heard a, “you there! With the blue hair! Stop what youre doing!” She gasped, almost instinctively sprinting in the opposite direction of the voice, and- shit. That’s right, this part is a dead end. She backed up against the wall,  pulling the blanket tighter around herself. “Drop the blanket, and get on the ground!” One of the guards snapped, and she froze, her eyes going blank as she recognized the voice. “Are you fucking retarded or something?! Drop the blanket and get on the ground!” The man, Erol, as luck would have it, stalked over and practically ripped the blanket away from her, and kicked her down onto her knees. She cried out as the steel boot collided with her side. “Well, well, well. If it isnt the half breed. The baron was quite displeased when you and that dark eco freak escaped. You could be quite valuable to him.” He growled. Ayako trembled, trying to scoot away from him. “Ah, no. I dont think so.” He snapped, delivering a swift kick to her head. With a groan, her vision went dark.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>TW: implied t//rture, graphic depictions of g//re</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She woke up with a start, groaning as her head throbbed. Great. It had just stopped hurting from the last time she was here. Wait- shit. That’s right. She had been captured again. Back in the cell she had started in. Fantastic. She had never actually properly figured out how to get out of the cells. She knew it was possible, after all, Jak had done so. But she couldn’t get the keys from the ring outside the door. She stood from the uncomfortable cot and walked over to the door, holding her side as it throbbed in protest. She peered out the small window on the door and flinched back as Erol’s eyes glared hatefully back. “You’re finally fucking awake.” He snarled. The ring of keys clanged and the door clicked open. He grabbed her arm and wrenched her out of the cell, bringing her over to the chair in the middle of the room. Shit. What the hell was going to happen? Erol tossed her onto it, and she let out a noise of pain. He roughly grabbed her wrists and strapped them down, following suit with her legs, and midsection. He walked up to her head and grabbed the collar of her shirt, tugging her up. She growled hatefully, but he simply spat, “the Baron will be in to interrogate you about the underground shortly. Mind your tone around him.” With that, he practically threw her head back down, turning and stalking away. </p><p>Shortly her ass. It felt like an hour before she finally heard footsteps again. By that point, she had tried pulling her arms and legs free, but only succeeded in bruising and scraping raw the skin on her wrists and ankles. The cold metal stung as it brushed against the open wounds, and tears beaded in the corner of her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let them fall, and forced her face into one of passive neutrality as the footsteps stopped beside her.<br/>
“Well, if it isnt the half breed scum that got away from me. But not anymore.” The baron said cooly. “You are going to tell me everything you know about the underground.”<br/>
“Like hell I am!” Ayako spat. “You cant do anything to make me tell you what i know!”<br/>
The baron chuckled. “A pretty sentiment. But quite useless when I’m the one questioning you.” He said, his voice terrifyingly calm. The way he looked at he sent chills down her spine. He gave a considering look to the machinery above the chair, then gave her a grin. “Maybe ill just torture the information out of you, if you wont talk willingly.”</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Authors note</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Guys. Guys I’m legally not allowed to write for Erol anymore. You know why? You wanna know why the hell I can’t write for Erol anymore? Because my fucking friend made me simp for the fucker that’s why </p>
<p>(/lh /nm /j)</p>
<p>*blinks really hard at you because you know who you are*</p>
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